Wally Kurth had worked with John Aniston on and off since 1987 until the actor’s passing last year at the age of 89. At the recent Day of DAYS fan gathering in downtown Los Angeles, the Days of our Lives star sat down with Soap Hub to share some of his memories with his late TV uncle.
Wally Kurth: Remembering John Aniston
“John was my mentor,” recalls Kurth, who last year formed The Day Players band, along with co-stars Eric Martsolf (Brady), Brandon Barash (Stefan), and Carson Boatman (Johnny). “I started my TV career working with [John] when I was first on DAYS.” Taping days could run fairly long back then, often going into the evening hours, but Kurth says he and Aniston didn’t have long conversations. However, their exchanges were always pretty profound.
Do As I (Don’t) Say
“We didn’t talk a lot, but he was an inspiration to me in terms of what not to do,” Kurth shares. “John was one of those guys who was like a father figure…he was like ‘Uncle Vic’ to me.” Kurth had a four-year run on DAYS initially, during which time he and Judi Evans (ex-Adrienne; now, Bonnie) emerged as one of the show’s most popular couples. Post-Salem, Kurth joined the cast of General Hospital as Ned, a role he continues to play today.
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Wally Kurth: Paging Dr. Kiriakis
“I asked John what he thought [of me on GH],” says Kurth, who recalls Aniston just looking at him and being silent until he shared, “You can have more fun.” Kurth says: “That’s all he said. I totally took that advice and started having more fun.”
Aniston’s advice to Kurth extended to his personal well-being, too. “One day, I was complaining about my back [hurting],” the actor says. “John said, ‘Here’s what I know about back pain: Just wait.’ I asked him what he meant by that because I was in pain! A few days later, I was just fine. He was right. John was a wise man, and he let that be known with few words.”
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